Two charged in assassination plot against RT chief – Investigative Committee

Neo-Nazi thugs were offered $50,000 to attempt to kill Margarita Simonyan, the agency has said

Two members of a neo-Nazi group have been charged with planning to assassinate RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, the Russian Investigative Committee has said.

The investigation into the case has been completed and handed over to prosecutors, the agency said in a statement on Monday.

Simonyan posted on X that she was thankful to those who prevented the planned attack. “My deepest gratitude to our law enforcement officers for their work,” she wrote.

The assassination plot against the RT editor-in-chief was prepared by members of a Moscow-based cell of the banned the National Socialism/White Power group, according to the agency.

The cell, called ‘Pure Blood’, was set up in 2022 by Mikhail Balashov, who recruited at least 11 people with “national-socialist and racist views.”

“Additionally, on the order of unidentified individuals, Balashov and the cell’s other member, Egor Savelyev, agreed to kill journalist Margarita Simonyan for a cash reward of $50,000,” the statement read.

They gathered data on the RT editor-in-chief’s whereabouts and obtained firearms, but were detained by officers from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) before being able to carry out the murder, it added.

Balashov and Savelyev have been charged with illegal possession of weapons and preparation for murder. Together with other members of the cell, they are also accused of creating a terrorist group, hooliganism, and inciting hatred, the agency said.

Earlier reports suggested the hit on Simonyan had been ordered by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), which in 2023 accused her of calling for “mass killings of Ukrainian children,” but failed to provide any proof to back the claim.

The RT editor-in-chief said at the time that the false accusations were an attempt by Ukraine to make a possible hit on her “appear more palatable.”

https://www.rt.com/news/626700-simonyan-rt-assassination-plot/

Armenian opposition mayor detained in govt crackdown (VIDEOS)

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been accused of waging a campaign against political dissent

Armenian law enforcement has detained the mayor of the country’s second-largest city along with several municipal staff and dozens of locals, sparking protests.

Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan and seven others now face corruption charges. The arrests come amid an ongoing political standoff in the country between the government and opposition.

Ghukasyan, elected from the Communist Party of Armenia in April 2025, is a known critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s pro-Western foreign policy shift. Pashinyan previously threatened to “throw him out of the politics,” vowing to “resolve” the issue.

Video circulating online showed Ghukasyan being escorted by security forces into a vehicle, reportedly bound for questioning in the capital, Yerevan. When his supporters blocked the exit, armed police used force in an operation involving over 100 officers.

https://youtu.be/6P8tmLA1U9Y

Was The CIA Misleading Witkoff & Kushner On Key Intel About Hamas During Critical Phase Of Peace-Talks

The CIA intelligence was the exact opposite of reality…

A fascinating hour-long interview with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as they outline the backstory to the Israel-Hamas peace agreement in Gaza.

During a segment (prompted below) Witkoff and Kushner are outlining the step-by-step process as they engaged the leaders of Qatar, Turkey and Egypt.

Witkoff reveals how the CIA was briefing them both, multiple times a day, and the briefing itself was exactly the opposite of what Emir of Qatar and Presidents of Turkey and Egypt were telling them.

What they are describing is EXACTLY why we outlined how ‘outside govt’ emissaries were/are vitally necessary to work around the control agenda of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

This small example is stunning in magnitude when considered around the importance of the moment.

On a positive note, with Witkoff making this stunning public statement, we can now add a major datapoint to President Trump’s reference of NOT TRUSTING the CIA.

Combined with the previous assertions of Marco Rubio and Tulsi Gabbard on essentially the same level of outlook, this example of the CIA getting it wrong (misleading the administration) has long-range ramifications beyond the Hamas example.

With this backdrop for reference, surely now we can have an optimistic sense that President Trump doesn’t trust the CIA intelligence on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

https://youtu.be/dNa6PcU1Ke0

https://www.antiwar.com/

Jared Kushner: Gaza looked like "a nuclear bomb had been set off."

CBS's Lesley Stahl: "Would you say now, having been there, that it was genocide?"

Kushner: "No, no."

Steve Witkoff: "Absolutely not, no."

https://twitter.com/i/status/1980092424660685236

The Wall Street Journal revealed the Pentagon was psyoping US citizens with fake stories about UFOs.

There are two Hollywood UFO movies (1 & 3 below) in production that have direct ties to Pentagon officials.

Details are scarce on Spielberg's UFO movie (2), but I wouldn't be surprised if Pentagon spooks were involved as "advisors".

This could be as simple as Hollywood trying to profit from a hot topic that is currently part of the zeitgeist.

Or it could be yet another example of the Pentagon's established influence on the entertainment industry.

Either way, you can absolutely draw a straight line connecting:

1) the false stories of dubious Pentagon intelligence officials

2) a servile mainstream media that blindly prints those stories

3) a Hollywood entertainment industry that permanently cements those false "true" stories into the consciousness of society

Without doubt, the genesis of all these "true" stories is lies and deception.

The public should be aware of this broader context and be wary of the dubious sources vying for their applause and approval.

------—-

Sources and further information:

https://wsj.com/politics/national-security/ufo-us-disinformation-45376f7e

https://deadline.com/2025/03/apple-joseph-kosinski-jerry-bruckheimer-1236347695/

https://forbes.com/sites/maellebeauget-uhl/2024/05/31/steven-spielberg-announces-new-ufo-movie-for-summer-2026/

https://dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-15081897/hollywood-director-spotted-ufo-hearing-congress.html

https://neon.reviewjournal.com/kats/area-51-movie-to-follow-las-vegas-newsman-alien-theories-3314757/

https://x.com/MiddleOfMayhem/status/1888279185795473663

https://x.com/MiddleOfMayhem/status/1955657801679900877

https://nypost.com/2023/03/21/ufo-believing-pentagon-bosses-missed-spy-craft-for-years/

https://nypost.com/video/ufo-religion-influencing-congress-to-hunt-aliens-says-top-pentagon-official/

Trump has said a "very wealthy gentleman" offered to pay U.S. troops' salaries if funding ran out during the government shutdown.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1979986154566086883

Amazon cloud outage fuels call for Europe to limit reliance on US tech

Monday’s disruption comes as EU leaders prepare to address digital sovereignty at a gathering this week.

A major outage of Amazon Web Services servers affecting multiple websites Monday morning prompted immediate calls for Europe to boost its tech sovereignty.

Slack, Snapchat, Signal and Perplexity were among the affected sites. Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers cloud servers that allow these services and millions of other websites and platforms to run.

Brussels is in the midst of a debate on how to achieve digital sovereignty, and what that means exactly, with cloud services at the center of the conversation. EU leaders are expected to take a position during a high-level summit meeting later this week.

“Today’s outage shows how concentrated power makes the internet fragile and this lack of resilience hits our economies as a result,” technologist Robin Berjon said in an email. Berjon co-founded the Eurostack project — an initiative campaigning to make Europe self-reliant in digital services.

“Europe’s dependency on monopoly cloud companies like Amazon is a security vulnerability and an economic threat we can’t ignore,” Cori Crider, executive director of the Future of Technology Institute, said in an email.

According to AWS's health dashboard, which shows a "running log of AWS service interruptions for the past 12 months," the outage originated with servers in North America and specifically Virginia.

That prompted reaction including from Ulrike Franke, senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations: “My robot vacuum cleaner no longer works and can someone explain why a robot in Paris is linked to U.S. East? Talk about European digital sovereignty…” she posted on Bluesky.

“These disruptions are not just technical issues, they’re democratic failures,” said Corinne Cath-Speth, head of digital at civil society group Article 19. “When a single provider goes dark, critical services go offline with it — media outlets become inaccessible, secure communication apps like Signal stop functioning, and the infrastructure that serves our digital society crumbles.”

“We urgently need diversification in cloud computing,” she added.

https://www.politico.eu/article/aws-amazon-web-services-outage-europe-limit-reliance-us-tech/

American at the airport looks over and sees “Robert Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines on my normal flight this morning”

He films RFK Jr taking his seat in a basic economy seat

Meanwhile Bernie Sanders and AOC fly on private jets

https://twitter.com/i/status/1979947902291390742

‘MASSIVE Election Security Scandal’ Erupts in Democrat Stronghold Fairfax County, Virginia

The Fairfax County Republican Committee has filed a formal complaint against the county’s Office of Elections, accusing officials of distributing thousands of flawed absentee ballots ahead of several closely watched Virginia elections.

The complaint raises new questions about ballot security in one of the state’s largest and historically Democrat-leaning counties.

Fairfax GOP Chair Katie Gorka sent a letter to the Office of Elections alleging what she called “a MASSIVE election security scandal.”

The letter detailed inconsistencies in how absentee ballots have been handled and returned in the weeks leading up to the November elections.

“As of October 15, 2025, 84,062 voters had been sent absentee ballots, 77,583 in the U.S. Of these ballots which were sent, 29,106 ballots had been returned by mail and 3,366 by dropbox, with 495 absentee ballot recipients voting in-person instead,” Gorka wrote.

“As a result, a large number of incidents may have occurred resulting in violations of the secrecy of ballots.”

Gorka’s letter alleged that design flaws in ballot envelopes could expose voters’ choices, compromising confidentiality and potentially violating state election laws.

She identified the greatest risk within mail-in voting, citing testimony from Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals before the General Assembly’s Privileges and Elections Committee in 2024.

“The United States Postal Service’s performance is insecure for elections,” Beals had testified on September 4, 2024.

https://www.lifezette.com/2025/10/massive-election-security-scandal-erupts-in-democrat-stronghold-fairfax-county-virginia/

Paramount Is Laying Off Up To 3,000 Employees Starting This Month

Paramount Global is poised to initiate a sweeping round of layoffs affecting up to 3,000 employees as early as the week of October 27, 2025. This accelerated timeline, drawn from insights shared by industry insiders, comes just weeks after the closure of Skydance Media’s transformative acquisition of the storied entertainment giant according to a report from Deadline. The move underscores the aggressive financial recalibration underway at the newly merged entity, as it grapples with mounting pressures from streaming competition, declining linear TV revenues, and the need to streamline operations in an era of belt-tightening across the media sector.

The decision to advance the job cuts from an originally anticipated early November start reflects heightened urgency within the executive suites. Paramount’s leadership, now steered by David Ellison’s Skydance Corporation following the August 7 deal’s completion, has been laser-focused on realizing substantial cost reductions. Sources close to the matter indicate that the impending reductions represent the opening salvo in a broader restructuring effort projected to extend through the close of the year. While initial estimates pegged the total impact at 2,500 to 3,000 positions globally, domestic U.S. staffers could face around 2,000 of those eliminations, with international savings still under rigorous calculation. This first phase alone would trim a significant chunk from Paramount’s pre-merger workforce of approximately 18,000, dwarfing Skydance’s leaner headcount of under 2,000.

At the heart of these measures lies a bold financial target: slashing operational expenses by roughly $2 billion in the years following the merger. Skydance’s integration strategy emphasizes efficiency, blending its agile production model with Paramount’s vast but bloated infrastructure. The layoffs are set to ripple across every corner of the business, from theatrical film divisions grappling with blockbuster unpredictability to streaming platforms like Paramount+ battling subscriber churn. Linear television arms, long a cornerstone of the company’s revenue, face particularly acute scrutiny as cord-cutting accelerates and ad dollars migrate online. Even ancillary units, such as global distribution and marketing, will not be spared, as the conglomerate seeks to eliminate redundancies born from years of expansion and acquisition.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/paramount-laying-3000-employees-starting-month

Project Blue Beam

https://twitter.com/i/status/1979566842781024322

House Republicans begin to defy Johnson’s shutdown recess, say Trump will be unable to pay the troops Oct 31

A growing number of House Republicans, frustrated over a monthlong shutdown recess, are traveling back to Washington, D.C., despite Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) decision to keep his conference at home.

GOP leadership announced on Friday that the House would be gone another week as the shutdown begins to flirt with record territory. The decision is part of an effort to pressure Senate Democrats to accept the short-term funding bill that passed the lower chamber on Sept. 19.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/restless-house-republicans-begin-to-defy-johnson-s-shutdown-recess/ar-AA1OKV9n?oci

Republicans say Trump will be unable to pay the troops Oct 31 unless the “Democrats” open up the government

President Donald Trump’s move to pay active-duty troops this week amid the shutdown is only a “temporary fix,” Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday, warning that service members will miss their Oct. 31 paychecks if Democrats don’t reopen the government by then.

The Pentagon moved Saturday to tap unused research and development funding to cover the checks due Wednesday to 1.3 million active-duty troops, as well as tens of thousands of National Guard members and reservists on active-duty orders. But the next round of paychecks is not guaranteed, Johnson said at a news conference, as he accused Democrats of using members of the military as “hostages.”

While a swath of House and Senate Republicans have voiced private concerns to GOP leaders about the need for a separate troop pay bill, Republican leaders have remained opposed. They have argued that addressing troop pay would unleash a clamor from members and the public for other “rifle shot” bills that would reopen key parts of the federal government but ease pressure for an overall end to the shutdown, according to two people granted anonymity to describe the talks.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/15/congress/shutdown-troop-pay-oct-31-00608851

NYPD agrees to police-free zone in Brooklyn, two blocks in Brownsville go cop-free under new experiment

A notoriously violent two-block stretch of Brooklyn is fighting crime — by not calling uniformed cops, The Post has learned.

A sliver of Brownsville in the NYPD’s 73rd Precinct was transformed into a “police free zone” last week as part of an city-funded experiment called the Brownsville Safety Alliance that initially was only twice a year but now runs four times annually, organizers said.

And it’s an initiative that’s received praise from anti-cop, mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, an official with the group that runs it told The Post.

https://nypost.com/2025/10/18/us-news/nypd-agrees-to-steer-clear-of-violent-brooklyn-nabe-labeling-the-two-block-stretch-a-police

The NYPD has agreed to step back from a two-block area in Brownsville, Brooklyn, turning it into what city officials are calling a temporary “police free zone.” The project, funded by the city and run through the Brownsville Safety Alliance, puts local residents in charge of keeping the peace, easing tensions, and rebuilding trust where police once patrolled.

https://citizenwatchreport.com/nypd-agrees-to-police-free-zone-in-brooklyn-two-blocks-in-brownsville-go-cop-free-under-new-experiment/

The Judge presiding over Tyler Robinsons trial has set an unprecedented gag order that has gagged every single whiteness that has been identified.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1980005266889343022

Popular birth control is linked to brain tumors in new study — as over 1,000 women sue Pfizer over health risks

Women who use Depo-Provera face a higher risk of developing a slow-growing brain tumor, according to a new study that comes as the contraceptive’s maker, Pfizer, faces hundreds of lawsuits claiming that it was aware of the potential risks.

Depo-Provera — the brand name for depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) — contains the synthetic progestin hormone, which stops the ovaries from releasing an egg to prevent pregnancy.

The injections, used by roughly 1 in 4 sexually active US women at some point, last about three months

For the new study, researchers examined over 61 million female patient records, finding that women who used DMPA had a twofold higher risk of getting diagnosed with meningioma compared to women not on hormonal birth control.

Meningioma is typically benign, but the tumors can cause problems by putting pressure on nerves or brain structures. The disease affects women more frequently than men, likely due to the influence of female hormones that can fuel tumor growth.

The researchers, from the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, found the greatest meningioma risk in women who started DMPA after the age of 31 or those who used it for four-plus years.

“In this study, women receiving [DMPA] had a greater relative risk of subsequent meningioma diagnosis, especially with prolonged exposures and starting the medication at older ages,” the study authors wrote in JAMA Neurology.

Medroxyprogesterone acetate was initially synthesized in 1954 to treat endometriosis, uterine fibroids and other gynecological conditions.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected Depo-Provera for contraceptive use for many years due to worries about cancer risks before finally approving it in 1992, following additional studies and after it had been used as a contraceptive in other countries.

The concerns didn’t stop there. A “black box” warning was added in 2004 to its label, alerting users that it could lead to significant bone mineral density loss, particularly with long-term use.

Then last year, a French study published in The BMJ found that women who used Depo-Provera for over a year had a 5.6 times greater risk of developing a meningioma.

Now, Pfizer is facing over 1,200 federal lawsuits related to Depo-Provera, with women alleging that the pharmaceutical giant failed to warn them about the meningioma risk.

https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-078078

>>23749819

clown bakers

BIRD Foundation approves $5.5 million in Israeli-US projects, gathers $14 million in total

The investments, gathered from both public and private sectors, will be used in five projects centered on hardware, medical devices, mental health, and rehabilitation innovations.

A new $5.5 million investment was approved by the Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation for five projects centered on hardware, medical devices, mental health, and rehabilitation innovations.

In addition, leveraging private-sector funding will allow a combined investment of $14 million, a statement by the foundation explained. “The five newly approved projects bring the total number of BIRD-supported collaborations to over 1,100 during the Foundation’s 48 years of activity,” they added.

The statement also noted that the total of BIRD's investments since its inception is over $406 million, with joint projects' direct and indirect revenues exceeding $10 billion according to their estimates.

Five new BIRD projects

The first project is centered on the development of compact, low-power, miniature atomic clocks and magnetometers using innovative quantum technology. Accubeat is developing the technology in Jerusalem, in collaboration with Louisville’s FieldLine Industries/Medical.

In the second, an Israeli Company is working alongside Resolution Medical (from Minneapolis, MN) in developing specialized catheters for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis.

Mentally Innovations from Or Yehuda and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (Bethesda, MD) are working to advance an automated assessment to improve post-traumatic stress diagnosis (AI PTSD).

Newton Tech, a Tel Aviv-based company, and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston are in talks to develop high-throughput gait and movement analysis for clinical evaluation.

Finally, Tuned from Gan Yoshiya is working alongside Novidan Inc. to develop an AI Audiologist, coupled with High-Performance, Low-Cost Hearing Aids.

“The BIRD Foundation continues to spark groundbreaking collaborations, this year spanning atomic clocks, advanced catheters, AI for PTSD diagnosis, VR-based rehabilitation, and intelligent hearing aids that address global health and technology challenges,” said Dr. Alon Stopel, Chief Scientist of Innovation at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and co-chair of BIRD’s Board of Governors.

The deadline for submission of Executive Summaries for the next BIRD cycle is November 20, 2025. Approval of projects is scheduled to take place in March 2026.

https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-870834

Trump, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sign agreement on rare earth minerals

President Trump said the deal had "been negotiated over a period of four or five months"

President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday signed an agreement on rare earth minerals at the White House.

Trump and Albanese signed the agreement at the start of their meeting on Monday, with the president telling reporters that it had "been negotiated over a period of four or five months," NBC News reported.

"We got it done just in time for the visit," Trump said. "And we work together very much on rare earths, critical minerals and lots of other things, and we’ve had a very good relationship. We’ve been working on that for quite a while."

Albanese said that Australia has an $8.5 billion pipeline "ready to go" for the deal.

Australia has the minimum tariff rate of 10%. When asked on Monday if the U.S. plans to lift the tariffs, Trump touted his general trade policies and then said, "I will say this, Australia, pays very low tariffs, very, very low tariffs. Australia pays among the lowest tariffs."

Albanese’s office said Sunday that he and Trump are also expected to discuss defense cooperation, Indo-Pacific stability, and the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.

AUKUS is a $240 billion trilateral security deal whereby Australia would buy U.S. nuclear-powered submarines in 2032 and then build a new submarine class with the United Kingdom.

https://justthenews.com/government/diplomacy/trump-australian-prime-minister-anthony-albanese-sign-agreement-rare-earth

America First Legal files amicus brief in FTC case before Supreme Court

"The President necessarily must be able to remove any official who does so, and it is time for the Supreme Court to finally overturn Humphrey’s Executor for good," AFL President Gene Hamilton said

America First Legal filed an amicus brief in the Federal Trade Commission case before the Supreme Court, which is over whether President Trump has the authority to fire a FTC commissioner.

AFL announced Monday that it filed an amicus brief with Mitchell Law PLLC on Friday, urging the Supreme Court to rule that Trump has the constitutional authority to remove executive officials.

In March, Trump fired Rebecca Slaughter, a Democrat who was appointed to the FTC in 2018. Slaughter sued over the firing, arguing that Trump didn't have the authority to remove her from her position.

AFL asked the Supreme Court to overturn its 1935 decision in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, which "stripped presidents of control over so-called 'independent' agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—allowing unelected bureaucrats to wield executive power without accountability to the American people," according to the nonprofit law firm.

AFL argues that the landmark case is unconstitutional, and that the Supreme Court should overturn it.

“The Federal Trade Commission undoubtedly exercises executive power. The President necessarily must be able to remove any official who does so, and it is time for the Supreme Court to finally overturn Humphrey’s Executor for good,” AFL President Gene Hamilton said.

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/america-first-legal-files-amicus-brief-ftc-case-supreme-court

Found in vapes: FDA cracks down on kratom products, exposes chilling link to opioid crisis

The FDA is cracking down on kratom-related products as part of its ongoing battle against the opioid crisis. At the center of the concern is 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a powerful compound derived from the kratom plant that interacts with the body’s opioid receptors. On July 29, in coordination with the DEA, the FDA began reviewing whether products with high concentrations of 7-OH should be classified as controlled substances.

https://youtu.be/i0lnIrPA30A

Kushner: Trump Believes Israel Is "Getting A Little Bit Out Of Control"

https://twitter.com/i/status/1979296272600195314

The State Department press-release (attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott):

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss next steps following the October 16 call between President Trump and President Putin. The Secretary emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, in line with President Trump’s vision.”

https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/10/secretary-rubios-call-with-russian-foreign-minister-lavrov-4/

https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/10/secretary-rubios-call-with-russian-foreign-minister-lavrov-4/

Israeli Cyber Official Fled U.S. After Child Sex Arrest — Now Represented by Trump’s Homeland Security Nominee

The scandal deepens. Tom Alexandrovich, a top Israeli cybersecurity official caught in a Las Vegas child sex sting in September, has been quietly indicted — six weeks after U.S. authorities let him slip back to Israel.

Even stranger, his new defense attorney is none other than David Chesnoff, a powerful Las Vegas lawyer appointed to the Homeland Security Advisory Council by President Trump.

Alexandrovich, who helps guide Israel’s cybersecurity policy, was representing Israel at Black Hat USA, a professional conference in Las Vegas, when he was one of seven people swept up in a major, multi-agency sting operation targeting pedophiles soliciting sex acts with minors.

According to court records, on Aug 6, the 38-year-old Alexandrovich allegedly committed the felony offense of using computer technology in an attempt to lure a child into sexual abuse. That particular crime encompasses children under 16. The next day, he posted a $10,000 bond at the Henderson Detention Center and fled the country to Israel, a known safe haven for pedophiles.

ZeroHedge report: Online court records show that Alexandrovich is expected to appear on Oct. 15 for an initial arraignment, and is being represented by Las Vegas-based defense attorney David Chesnoff – who President Trump appointed to a position on the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Why is an alleged Israeli high-level government pedophile being represented by a Trump nominee? Chesnoff also represented an Israeli dual citizen who pleaded guilty to lying about the Bidens taking a $5 million bribe from Burisma. Really weird.

In any event, according to the indictment, Alexandrovich “willfully, unlawfully and knowingly” with an undercover FBI agent, whom he believed was under 16, with the intent to “solicit, persuade or lure” them into sexual conduct through online apps such as WhatsApp and Pure, the latter of which is an app that allows users to “date, play and misbehave” anonymously.

As the news broke six weeks ago, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reflexively denied Alexandrovich had done anything wrong, claiming that “the employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled.”

Subsequently confronted with court records, Israel’s Cyber Directorate said the earlier false statement “was accurate based on the information provided to us,” and that Alexandrovich is now on leave “by mutual decision.”

As we noted at the time of his arrest, it’s not clear why or how he was allowed to return to Israel, which has a reputation as a haven for pedophiles who prey on American children.

Citing a Jewish watchdog group, a 2020 CBS News report found that, in just the previous six years, more than 60 Jewish Americans who’d been accused of pedophilia had fled to Israel, taking advantage of Israel’s “Right of Return” law that lets any Jewish individual in the world enjoy instant citizenship (though they are still subject to extradition).

https://vtforeignpolicy.com/2025/10/israeli-cyber-official-fled-u-s-after-child-sex-arrest-now-represented-by-trumps-homeland-security-nominee/

Fucking kek that is the Aussie PM's mentor

Humiliating moment as Trump eyeballs Rudd in front of Albo

Anthony Albanese’s attempt to cosy up to Donald Trump was awkwardly derailed when the US President was made aware of Kevin Rudd’s presence.

Anthony Albanese has faced one of his most important tests of diplomacy on Monday, US time, as he met Donald Trump at the White House.

Also in attendance at the meeting in the Cabinet Room – not the Oval Office as originally scheduled – was Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The PM will not come away displeased with he and the US President signing a multibillion-dollar deal which will funnel money into Australia to boost critical minerals production and processing, Mr Trump saying positive thing about the AUKUS defence pact and him gushing over Australia and saying he’d be keen to visit.

“We’ve been long term, long time allies … and I would say there’s never been anybody better,” Mr Trump said of Australia.

But true to form the US President provided several headline-grabbing moments.

Donald Trump has declared he does not like Kevin Rudd and “never will”, in a sensational verbal lashing of Australia’s ambassador, delivered straight to his face.

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/live-albanese-touches-down-in-us-ahead-of-critical-trump-facetoface/live-coverage/879a1515fe62db148c0551606521f3e0

VIDEO: James O’Keefe Goes Live NOW: “My Price Is My Life”

It's time to end this fraud once & for all & bring justice for the American taxpayer. Billions have been wasted - enough is enough.

Tune in to our breaking investigation LIVE at 1pm ET on YouTube, X, & Rumble. You don't want to miss this 👀

https://youtu.be/JN0LK5GumLA

Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ close thousands of ATMS across Australia

'Challenge for banks is making sure no one is left behind'

Nearly 5,000 ATMs have disappeared across Australia in just five years as the nation's shift towards digital banking accelerates.

New analysis from Canstar shows the number of cash machines and branches has fallen dramatically, leaving some communities without easy access to basic banking services.

ATM numbers have also plunged, falling by 333 in the past year and by 4,478 since the end of the 2020 financial year.

Meanwhile, the number of bank branches nationwide fell by 155 over the past financial year, and by 1,564 over five years.

Commonwealth Bank recorded the largest reduction, shutting 49 branches, a seven per cent fall over the year and a 33 per cent decline over the past five years.

Westpac followed with 25 closures, down five per cent year-on-year and 46 per cent lower than five years ago.

NAB saw a modest decrease, closing three branches, or one per cent, bringing its five-year decline to 34 per cent.

ANZ also trimmed its network by 21 branches, a seven per cent annual drop, and has now halved its total branch footprint since 2020.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15207613/Westpac-Commonwealth-Bank-ANZ-close-thousands-ATMS-Australia.html

Colombia recalls ambassador to the US after Trump announces tariffs increase

Colombia has recalled its ambassador to the United States, hours after Donald Trump announced he would would raise tariffs on the South American nation, in a feud that stems from the American military's strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs.

The Colombian foreign ministry said on Monday, local time that the country's ambassador in Washington DC, Daniel García-Peña, had already returned to Bogotá.

Chancellor Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy also confirmed the Colombian government would soon release more details about why President Gustavo Petro Urrego ordered Mr García-Peña to be recalled.

On Sunday, local time, Mr Trump called Mr Petro an "illegal drug leader" and said the US would slash financial assistance to Colombia because its president "does nothing to stop" illicit drug production.

"The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc," Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post.

"Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely."

Mr Petro's government said it found Mr Trump's comments to be offensive.

Later in the day, Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Colombia has "no fight against drugs" and "they are a drug manufacturing machine" with "a lunatic" for a president.

He also said that he would announce new tariffs on Colombia on Monday.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-21/colombia-recalls-us-ambassador-after-trump-tariff-increase/105914158